About The Grand Lodge of Kentucky

In the year 2000 we celebrated the bicentennial anniversary of Masonry in Kentucky. When the Lexington Lodge was established, the brothers probably did not envision what was to come. In the past 200 years, Masonry in Kentucky has grown to have over 61,000 members, hundreds of lodges, and a variety of appellate bodies which all serve the principles of Masonry.

These principles are endowed with a belief in God and helping our fellow man through charitable means. They can be envisioned through the numerous charitable causes which we actively support. In Kentucky two of the better known causes are:

The Masonic Homes of Kentucky – are institutes which help elders, couples, and widows in assisted care environments. The homes originally cared for orphans as well, an aspect which was taken over by state government in recent years.

The Shriners Hospital, Lexington, Ky – a totally free care and rehabilitation facility which tends to the needs of crippled children. One of the many Shriners Hospitals located throughout this country and others.

Kentucky Masons also serve their local communities in many ways; scholarships, fund-raising, charity, emergency aid, support of Habitat for Humanity, and numerous acts of charity to deserving individuals. Contrary to popular opinion, the vast majority of these contributions are made to people that aren’t members of the organization.

As Masonry advances into the next Century, we are be facing numerous new challenges. Masonry is already becoming involved with support of youth organizations to help preserve the beliefs and values which are embedded in all the good that our country has to offer. Freemasonry has been a supporting cornerstone of religious and charitable beliefs and will continue doing so with the support of good people like our members.

Even though Masons (freemasons) are members of the largest and oldest fraternity in the world, and even though almost everyone has a father or grandfather, or uncle who was a mason, many people aren’t quite certain just who masons are.

The answer is simple. A mason (or Freemason) is a member of a fraternity known as Masonry. A fraternity is a group of men who join together to work towards common goals and enjoy each others company.

Where did Masonry Originate?

Freemasonry is the oldest fraternity in the world. No one knows just how old it is because the actual origins have been lost in time. Probably, it arose from the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the middle ages. Possibly they were influenced by groups such as the Knights Templar, and order of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Lands.

In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed. A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in a geographical area. In the United States there is a Grand Lodge for each state and the District of Columbia. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge for each province. Local organizations of Masons are called lodges, there are about 13,200 Lodges in the United States. [more]

What are some of Kentucky’s Masons Goals or Causes?

Masonry teaches that a person has a responsibility to make things better in the world. Masonry is deeply involved in helping people. Masons spend more than $2 million dollars every day in the United States, just to help people.

The vast majority of this money goes to people who are not masons. Some of these charities are large projects supported and operated by Masons such as the Shriner’s Hospitals for crippled and burned children.

While this may be the best known Masonic Charity, lodges around Kentucky involve themselves in many other local charities and causes. Another example would be participation through donation and service to organizations such as The Habitat for Humanity program.